As outlined in the NSW Government’s policy on population ageing Toward 2030, the ability of individuals to remain connected and engaged with society is influenced by a range of factors. These factors include health, employment, mobility, access to social networks (both formal and informal) and the demands arising from caring responsibilities. By participating in their community, people are better able to keep active and healthy and reduce isolation, thereby enhancing both their wellbeing and the wellbeing of society as a whole.

This Chapter presents information on indicators of the level and ways in which people aged 45 years and over participate in society. These include contact with other people, the level of support people have emotionally and practically, participation in social activities, the level of support people provide to others (including grandchildren and as carers of others) participation in education and use of the Internet.

Families, community networks and interpersonal relationships are vital aspects of society and essential to individual wellbeing. Many older males (aged 65 years and over) are likely to be living with a spouse, while a greater proportion of older females are likely to be living alone as, due to their higher life expectancy, they survive beyond the death of a partner. In NSW in 2006, 81% of males and 66% of females aged 65 years and over lived with at least one other person in the household. In the same year, around 75% of older males and 79% of older females had face-to-face contact in the previous week with family and friends living outside the household.

Most people aged 65 years and over (90%) reported that, in a time of crisis, they could get support from outside their household, mainly from family (79%), friends (45%), and neighbours (45%). Older people are important contributors to their families and communities, including providing support to relatives living outside the household. About 20% of older people (aged 65 years and over) provided support to relatives living outside the household, and around 21% of older people with a disability and 8.8% on a low income also provided this type of support.

4.1 FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT(a), By selected ages, NSW-2006

4.2 FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT(a), Selected characteristics, By selected ages, NSW - 2006

Aged 65 years and over

Age group (years)

Low income(b)

Disability or long-term
health condition

Males

Females

Persons

45-54

55-64

65-74

75 and over

Total persons aged 18 years and over

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Lives with at least one other person(c)

62.5

71.9

80.6

66.4

72.9

88.9

84.3

78.6

66.1

87.6

Had face to face contact with family or friends(d)(e)

75.1

76.1

74.7

79.0

77.0

75.0

79.0

76.4

77.7

78.9

Has family members can confide in(d)

91.6

90.5

91.1

90.6

90.8

83.6

89.4

89.6

92.3

87.3

Person provides support to other relatives(d)(f)

8.8

21.1

18.6

22.0

20.4

32.9

37.8

24.1

16.0

27.6

Able to get support in time of crisis(d)

90.1

90.2

88.5

92.1

90.4

90.8

91.2

87.0

94.6

92.8

Sources of support

Family member

79.5

79.3

78.0

80.3

79.2

74.0

74.4

73.7

85.9

78.4

Friend

38.8

43.3

44.0

46.3

45.2

66.5

61.6

53.0

36.1

67.8

Neighbour

44.7

46.3

41.2

47.3

44.5

39.3

44.1

47.7

40.6

35.0

Community, charity or religious organisation

13.6

17.7

19.5

16.2

17.7

12.9

14.2

21.3

13.4

13.6

Total persons ('000)

390.8

615.4

404.6

475.2

879.8

927.3

745.2

478.4

401.4

5 123.9

(a) Person may have undertaken more than one activity or event therefore totals will not sum to 100%.

(b) Lowest gross income quintile (the lowest 20% of households when ranked according to gross income).

(c) In the household.

(d) Outside the household.

(e) In last week.

(f) 'Other relatives' excludes own or partner's children aged 0-24 years.

Source: ABS data available on request, General Social Survey, 2006 (cat. no. 4195.0).

In 2006, the proportion of time people spent per week with their partner increased from 35% for those aged 45-54 years to 53% for those aged 65-74 years. For women aged 75 years and over, the proportion of time spent with a partner sharply declined to 26%, and the waking hours women spent alone (47%) was almost double the proportion for men (24%), reflecting women's higher life expectancy. (For more information please refer to the Population Ageing in New South Wales, 2008 electronic datacubes on the ABS website.)

People aged 65 years and over who were born overseas in non-English speaking countries (29%) were three times more likely than older people born in Australia (8%) to spend time with family living in the same household (excluding their partner).

Grandparents are important providers of child care. In 2006, 49% of older female grandparents (aged 65 years and over) and 42% of male grandparents provided child care in the previous year. About 71% of grandparents aged 45-54 years provided child care, compared to 67% of those aged 55-64 years and 46% of those aged 65 years and over. The main types of child care provided by grandparents aged 65 years and over were babysitting (34%), occasional care (28%), school holiday care (26%) and regular care while parents are at work (21%).

Carers play a significant role as providers of informal care, helping older people with a disability to remain living in their home. Carers provide ongoing informal assistance to people with disability, including emotional support, financial, practical and personal assistance. Generally, the need for assistance is highest at older ages, and much of the informal assistance provided to older people living at home is provided by spouses, often with their own disabilities.

In 2003 in NSW, almost one in five people aged 65 years and over were carers (17%), and almost a third of these older carers (31%) were primary carers. In the same year, 85% of older primary carers provided care to people aged 65 years and over with a disability. More than 60% of older primary carers said they had a disability, and the majority (79%) of older female primary carers were caring for their partner.

About 62% and 48% of older female and male primary carers spent 40 hours or more per week providing care. Many primary carers reported negative effects due to their caring role, which shows the importance of ongoing support services for carers. The main negative effects reported were: feels weary or lacking in energy (35%); frequently feels worried or depressed (29%); and needs an improvement in situation or more support (27%), with older females more likely to report negative effects than older males.

Social, cultural and physical activities provide opportunities for social interaction and contribute to the wellbeing of individuals. Many older people actively participate in social and physical activities, though participation rates tend to decline with age. Older people's participation in social activities can be influenced by a range of factors including, health, disability, living arrangement, income, transport and access to information technology. In 2006, the most common types of social activities older people participated in were visiting (or being visited by) friends (87%), followed by attending cultural and leisure venues (69%) and meeting friends for indoor (62%) or outdoor (56%) activities. The same activities were also popular among older people with a disability.

Around 49% of older males (aged 65 years and over) and 42% of older females participated in sport and physical recreation in 2005-06. Participation rates for people aged 65 years and over were higher in non-organised sports and physical activities (28%) compared with organised sports and physical activities (11%). The proportion of people aged 75 years and over participating in sport and physical recreation activities was 34%, almost half the proportion of people participating aged 55-64 years (59%). Walking (25%) was the most common activity for persons aged 65 years and over, followed by lawn bowls (6.0%), golf (5.5%) and swimming (4.9%).

In 2006, similar proportions of older males aged 65 years and over (60%) and females (62%) were actively involved in a social group. The most popular types of groups people aged 65 years and over participated in were social clubs providing restaurants or bars (26%), religious or spiritual group organisations (23%), and sport or physical recreation groups (18%).

4.10 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION, Persons aged 65 years and over(a)(b), By sex and types of groups, NSW-2006

Due to higher rates of fertility and a lower life expectancy, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has a relatively young age structure; therefore in this Chapter the phrase older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people refers to those aged 55 years and over.

In 2002 in NSW, 72% of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reported they had been involved in social activities in the last three months. In the last 12 months, 22% had participated in sport or physical recreation activities and 30% had undertaken voluntary work. The majority of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (87%) reported that, in a time of crisis, they could get support from outside their household. In 2002, 53% of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reported they identified with a clan, tribal or language group and 63% had attended a cultural event in the last 12 months.

Voluntary work meets community needs, builds networks and increases social participation and personal development. A volunteer is defined as someone who, in the previous 12 months, willingly gave unpaid help, in the form of time, service or skills, through an organisation or group.

In 2006, almost one-third (29%) of people aged 65 years and over in NSW participated in organised voluntary work, and a similar proportion (33%) provided informal unpaid assistance to people living outside their household, though participation decreased with age. People aged 65 years and over were more likely to volunteer for welfare or community organisations, and common activities undertaken were fundraising and sales (14%), preparing and serving food (11%), and information management (9.1%). Helping with child care (16%) and emotional support (15%) were the most common types of unpaid informal assistance provided by older females, and older males most often were providing transport or running errands (14%).

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution

** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use

np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated

(a) Person may have undertaken more than one activity or event.

Source: ABS data available on request, General Social Survey, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.0).

4.4 EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Education

Fostering lifelong learning has become increasingly important as Australia's population ages in order to increase labour force and community participation. In 2006-07, about 68% of people aged 55-64 years engaged in some form of learning. Informal learning offers flexible learning opportunities based on a wide range of activities including reading, using computers or the Internet, watching television, visiting libraries and learning from family, friends and colleagues.

Many of the activities undertaken as part of informal learning are also either free or relatively inexpensive. Non-formal and formal learning, on the other hand, can be less accessible due to the timing, location of classes and cost. In 2006-07, a higher proportion of people aged 55-64 years participated in informal (66%) compared with non-formal (24%) learning. A smaller number of people aged 55-64 years participated in formal education. Non-participation occurred at higher rates in older age groups, with 37% of those aged 60-64 years not participating in learning.

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution

(a) Refers to learning in the 12 months prior to interview. Categories are not mutually exclusive.

(b) Formal learning refers to learning which is structured, taught learning in institutions and organisations and leads to a recognised qualification issued by a relevant body.

(c) Non-formal learning refers to structured, taught learning, but differs from formal learning in that it does not lead to a qualification within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). It includes non-accredited workplace training, that is, training that does not lead to a recognised qualification.

(d) Informal learning refers to unstructured, non-institutionalised learning activities that are related to work, family, community or leisure. Activities may occur on a self-directed basis, but are excluded from scope if there is no specific intention to learn.

Overall, in NSW, non-school outcomes as measured by the attainment of graduate qualifications are improving. Increasing participation in higher education is reflected by the higher proportion of people aged 45-49 years with non-school qualifications (65%) compared with people aged 55-64 years (52%).

With the exception of prose literacy, a lower proportion of people aged 65-74 years had high literacy skills (people attaining skill scores at levels 3-5) compared to people aged 45-49 years. This may relate to greater proportions of older people having lower educational attainment levels, and/or the relatively high rate of disabilities (some of which would affect literacy skills) among older people.

There is an increasing use of technology by older people, potentially enhancing their social wellbeing and independent living through providing communication, information, and learning opportunities, as well as access to goods and services. Household Internet access has increased in recent years, though generally there is lower use in older age groups. In 2004-05 and 2006-07, Internet use for people aged 45-54 years was 66% and 73% respectively, and for people aged 65 years and over it was 17% and 21% respectively. The lower use of computers by older persons may be partially explained by their lower exposure to such technology and fewer opportunities to gain computing skills over their lifetime.

In 2006-07, more than 25% of males aged 65 years and over and 18% of females of the same age group used the Internet from any location. For older people (aged 65 years and over), the main purpose for using the Internet at home was personal or private use (19%). This was followed by education or study (5.1%), work or business (4.2%) and voluntary or community purposes (3.0%). Among older people accessing the Internet at home, broadband (19%) is more commonly used than dial-up access (13%).

4.18 USE OF THE INTERNET AT ANY LOCATION(a), By selected ages, NSW

4.19 USE OF THE INTERNET(a), Selected characteristics, By selected ages, NSW - 2006-07

Aged 65 years and over

Age group (years)

Males

Females

45-54

55-64

65 and over

Total persons aged 15 years and over

%

%

%

%

%

%

Location of Internet use

Home

22.0

16.3

65.8

51.0

19.0

61.3

Work

*6.2

*2.3

40.8

27.1

4.1

31.1

Neighbour's or friend's or relative's house

*2.2

*3.5

15.7

9.7

2.9

25.6

Library

*5.9

**0.4

8.2

7.5

*2.9

10.1

Any location

25.4

18.0

73.2

57.8

21.4

69.5

Purpose

Personal or private

21.2

16.3

64.3

50.4

18.6

60.3

Used Internet to purchase goods/services for private purposes

10.5

6.4

46.4

32.5

8.3

42.8

Education or study

*6.3

*4.0

31.0

19.2

5.1

34.1

Work or business

*6.2

*2.6

40.7

21.9

4.2

31.5

Voluntary or community

*3.6

*2.6

9.3

6.4

3.0

7.2

Frequency

Everyday

8.9

*4.7

30.4

24.7

6.6

31.1

At least weekly

10.3

*6.3

29.5

20.2

8.1

24.7

At least monthly

*2.8

*5.4

5.9

6.0

4.2

5.6

Type of access for households

Broadband

18.8

18.5

54.1

40.3

18.6

48.8

Dial-up

15.7

10.9

23.3

20.2

13.1

20.3

Total persons ('000)

413.0

481.0

936.0

761.0

894.0

5 431.0

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution

** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use

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